"Are you finally serious?" Mihawk's sharp gaze narrowed.
Even though he had crossed blades with Carl once before in East Blue, that had merely been a test—a light probe.
Apart from that overwhelming cherry blossom ability that blanketed the sky, Carl had not revealed much else. But now, judging by the oppressive aura emanating from him, he was about to unleash his full strength.
"That's why I said… I really don't understand the mindset of you swordsmen."
In Carl's crimson right eye, the number 'six' flickered before shifting to 'five'.
A jet-black fluid seeped from his body, twisting unnaturally in the air as an ominous presence spread.
"Mihawk, I'll ask you one last time—are you sure you want to stop me?"
Black lightning, laced with a malevolent aura, crackled violently around Carl, forming the visage of a black lion—its golden eyes gleaming, tongue flicking like a serpent poised to strike.
Mihawk's piercing hawk-like eyes gleamed with an excitement he hadn't felt in years.
"Of course."
Carl's expression remained cold.
"Then don't die."
A killing intent so intense that it seemed to freeze the very air itself spread from Carl's body.
"It seems… this one is a real monster…"
Not far away, Red-Haired Shanks' usual carefree expression momentarily faded as he muttered under his breath.
To see such terrifying power emerge from the new generation, and in the Marines no less…
Even though Shanks was confident in his own vision, if he compared Carl to the young pirate he had placed his hopes in…
"How dare you get distracted while fighting this old man!"
BOOM!
A powerful fist came crashing down on Shanks' only shoulder.
Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp had struck with an iron fist, his signature technique—a blow carrying the weight of a battleship.
Shanks was blasted away, tumbling through the air. His sword, Griffon, nearly slipped from his grasp before he forcefully tightened his grip.
Mihawk exhaled deeply, unfazed by the brewing chaos. There was no fear in his eyes—only a hint of satisfaction.
With his black blade Yoru held horizontally, he smirked.
"Why should I be afraid of death? Come."
BOOM!
A shockwave blasted outward, tearing through the ground.
The blood-red beast of Carl's aura snarled, overflowing with malice.
In that instant, Carl's figure vanished.
"Fast!"
Mihawk's pupils contracted—he nearly lost track of Carl's movement!
CLANG!
Carl's Sakura Ten—wrapped in jet-black Haki—clashed against Yoru, the legendary black blade.
CRACK!
The ground beneath Mihawk's feet splintered apart, unable to withstand the pressure.
Above them, the forms of a blood-red lion and a black-winged eagle seemed to battle in the void.
"This blade…" Mihawk muttered.
His keen eyes focused on Sakura Ten, its form gradually transforming.
"Is it… about to become a black blade?"
Carl remained expressionless.
His mastery of advanced Armament Haki was near unparalleled—his blade had been soaking in it for far too long.
It was only natural that Sakura Ten was beginning to undergo the process of becoming a kokutō (black blade), just as Yoru once had.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Steel clashed relentlessly in the air.
Golden sparks erupted with each stroke.
The blades of the two swordsmen interwove like the horns of battling antelope, their attacks so precise that the slightest error could mean instant death.
The duel between these two masters was not one of brute force—it was a contest at the very pinnacle of swordsmanship.
For anyone watching, it might seem elegant—graceful even. But only those who had faced them in battle would recognize the terrifying killing intent hidden within each swing.
A single mistake meant defeat.
"What… a heavy blade!"
Mihawk's arms trembled slightly.
Carl's Haki was absurdly dense, and his ominous black lion aura felt like it was devouring everything in its path.
He had already experienced Carl's monstrous Haki in East Blue, but now, with Sakura Ten evolving, the pressure was nearly overwhelming.
Then Mihawk suddenly spoke.
"Solomon Carl… what a pity."
Carl's crimson eyes narrowed.
"What are you talking about?"
Mihawk's blade never ceased moving as he replied, regret lacing his voice.
"You could have surpassed me. You have the qualifications to sit on the throne as the world's greatest swordsman. The only person I've ever seen with that potential… is you."
He sighed.
"But you are not a pure swordsman."
CLANG!
The two swords locked again.
The ground beneath Mihawk sank further under the force of Carl's strikes.
Carl's expression shifted slightly.
"What if I told you… someone like that does exist?"
Mihawk frowned slightly.
After his brief encounter with Carl in East Blue, he had returned to the Grand Line immediately.
He had never met a certain swordsman.
"Hoh?" Mihawk's eyes sharpened. "Who?"
Carl chuckled.
"Ever heard of the Straw Hat Pirates?"
He raised Sakura Ten and brought it down.
Mihawk swiftly dodged.
BOOM!
A deep fissure cracked open in the ground.
"There's a green-haired swordsman on that crew," Carl continued, his slashes relentless.
"Like you, his talent in swordsmanship is immense."
He smirked.
"Oh, and—he vows to become the world's strongest swordsman."
Although Carl never understood the mindset of swordsmen, he didn't belittle them.
That green-haired swordsman truly had the qualifications to reach the pinnacle.
Mihawk's golden eyes flickered.
"Interesting," he murmured, blocking another strike. "If you say so, I will seek him out."
Carl, strengthened by [Human Path], continued his assault.
With each blow, Mihawk was forced back—his feet digging trenches into the ground.
Carl exhaled.
"Of course, first you have to survive today!"
Black liquid lightning surged around Sakura Ten, coiling like a black-gold serpent.
"Slash Wave: Shifting Heaven!"
BOOM!
A monstrous black-gold slash erupted, reaching toward the heavens.
Mihawk did not hesitate.
With Yoru raised, he unleashed a massive green flying slash to counter it.
The two slashes clashed in midair—only for Mihawk's attack to be completely devoured.
His pupils shrank.
'This technique…'
Within Carl's attack, a phantom serpent coiled menacingly—its tongue flicking toward Mihawk.
Mihawk's instincts screamed.
He swung Yoru down, intercepting the incoming slash.
CLANG!
A metallic screech echoed.
And then—
"Hsss!"
The black-gold serpent lunged, sinking its fangs into Mihawk's left arm!
Blood splattered.
Mihawk staggered slightly.
Carl's smirk widened.
"So you've finally experienced it—the depths of the Sword God Realm."
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